


Dinged Up Heart

by LaughingStones



Category: Motorcity (Cartoon)
Genre: Chuck is tragically straight, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Unrequited Love, Unrequited Muckles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24700729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingStones/pseuds/LaughingStones
Summary: Mike isn't the kind of guy to debate if something's a good idea before trying it. He moves at top speed, whether it's his car at risk or his heart.Fortunately, Dutch is there to help him through the aftermath.
Relationships: Mike Chilton & Dutch
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	Dinged Up Heart

Dutch hasn't seen Mike all day. Chuck is off LARPing, Texas doesn't know where Mike is, and when Dutch asks Jacob he looks concerned.

"Haven't seen him for meals, and I've been cookin' all day," he says. "I guess Mutt's still in the garage, huh?"

"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't be askin'," Dutch says.

"Check his room to see if his jacket's gone. Can't have gone far if it's there."

Dutch nods and goes upstairs. Mike's door is closed, which is a little unusual, and Dutch knocks lightly just to be safe. There's no response, and he's just about to open the door when a boot heel scuffs on the floor inside and Mike says, muffled, "Just a sec."

Then he pulls the door open. "Hey, Dutch," he says, smiling, but it looks smaller than usual, shadowed. "What's up?" His hair is messy and his jacket's off, his t-shirt rumpled.

"I wanted to ask you about a painting I'm working on," Dutch says, "but nobody's seen you today, man. Did you just wake up or something?"

"No," Mike says, "I'm, I've been awake. I'm fine, dude. I'm just, can I come check it out later? I'm kinda busy right now." His smile has completely faded now, and he's talking with none of his usual energy.

"Busy with _what?_ " Dutch asks. "Man, you sound terrible, maybe you should take a break!"

Mike snorts the kind of laugh where the amusement is more theoretical than real. "I'm fine, buddy. I'll come look later, okay?"

"Okay, but what about food?" Dutch says. "C'mon, you gotta be hungry by now!"

"I'm really not," Mike says, and starts to close the door.

Dutch grabs the edge of it, seriously concerned now. "Mike, are you _sick?_ You gotta tell us--"

"I'm not sick, I'm _fine_ ," Mike says, sounding frustrated, but in the same tired way as everything else about him right now. "I'm just--it's nothing to worry about."

"Check it out, I'm worried," Dutch tells him.

Mike glares at him and tosses up a hand, turning away from the door instead of trying to close it again. It's pretty much an invitation, and Dutch takes it, edging in through the door and closing it behind him.

"C'mon, man, lemme know what's goin' on," he urges. "You know I wanna help."

"You can't help," Mike says, sitting down heavily on his bed.

"Okay, now you're seriously worrying me," Dutch tells him. "Julie hasn't told you anything you're not tellin' us, you wouldn't do that--"

"No, it's not--it doesn't have anything to do with Kane," Mike sighs.

"Okay," Dutch says. He hopes he's hiding his relief, but that was a terrifying thought, however brief; that Julie had told Mike there was something in store so terrible that he hadn't been able to face telling his team.

He goes over to Mike and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. How come I can't help? Maybe you should try me, huh?"

Mike sets his elbows on his knees, working his fingers into his hair. "It's not the kind of thing anyone can help with," he says in a strained voice. "I just have to… stop being dumb and _deal_ with it."

Dutch bites his lip, because that could mean any number of things, from too many stubbed toes and dropped tools in a row to something really bad. "What happened?" he says quietly.

A long silence settles in. Dutch watches as Mike licks his lips, breathes in, breathes out again.

"I tried," he starts finally, and his voice cracks. He swallows. "I tried to kiss Chuck, and he--" a breath in and out. "He's not… interested. In me. He freaked out and said a lot of stuff and then he _left_." He presses his hands over his face and his breathing hitches and shakes.

A sharp pang goes through Dutch. He had no idea Mike was into Chuck. Chuck, on the other hand, is anything but subtle about his crush on Claire, which can't be fun for Mike to watch. And why would he have thought Chuck was into guys? Then again, this is Mike Chilton. He probably got the idea to kiss Chuck and went for it immediately at 100 mph. He's not the kind of guy to debate if something's a good idea before trying it. It's led to more than one broken bone, and now apparently a bruised or broken heart.

"Aw, crap," Dutch sighs, sitting down next to Mike, and slings an arm around him. "I'm sorry, man, that seriously sucks."

"'M such an _idiot_ ," Mike gasps.

"Nah, just optimistic," Dutch says. His chest is aching.

Mike gives a choked snort. "He likes _Claire_ , why did I even think--" he breaks off, shaking his head.

Well, shoot, now Dutch has to argue the other side of the question. "I mean, it's not like it's impossible to like two people at once, or like if he likes girls he _can't_ like guys too. There was a chance it'd work out fine! You just… got unlucky, this time."

"And now it's gonna be weird, and he might not wanna ride with me anymore…" Mike's breath shakes and he has to take a moment before he can manage, low-voiced and wavering, "I've messed it all up, Dutch. What if he doesn't wanna be friends anymore? What if he wants to leave the gang? God, we'd be so screwed, why didn't I _think_ for once in my life--"

"Hey, hey, come on, no," Dutch says, turning a little so he can get the other arm around Mike and hug him. "That's not like you, man, don't assume the worst. He's not gonna quit being your friend over this, okay? He just needs some time to cool down and it'll be fine. Right?"

"I dunno," Mike mumbles. "He was so freaked out…"

Dutch sighs and squeezes him gently. "That sucks," he says. "I'm really sorry he flipped out so hard. You got any idea why?"

Mike sniffs and nods a little. "He thought, he's only been in the gang all this time, only ridin' in Mutt, cuz I wanted… y'know."

"Wanted into his pants?" Dutch fills in, and sighs again, more exasperated this time. "Okay, so see there? That's a _masterpiece_ of assumin' the worst, because Chuck is an _expert_. You really need to stick with optimism, man, because Chuck's got the pessimism field covered."

He manages to surprise a damp little laugh out of Mike, which Dutch counts as a triumph. More seriously, he says, "When he calms down some, he might figure out on his own that's not the answer. And if he doesn't, I can have a talk with him and explain some stuff." Like maybe how it's not cool to go breaking Mike Chilton's heart like an _asshole_ with the most graceless rejection ever. "And then he'll realize that he was a jerk, making assumptions like that, and he'll probably come apologize, okay? You guys are gonna be fine."

Mike sniffs again and looks up at Dutch, wet, shadowed eyes searching his face. "You really think so?" he asks, voice cracking. His face crumples and he buckles forward, forehead thumping gently against Dutch's shoulder. "I just, I don't want him to hate me now," he gets out between gasps.

"Aww, man, no," Dutch tells him, stroking his back. "He doesn't hate you and he's not gonna. He's just kind of dumb sometimes when he freaks out. It's okay. You're still gonna be friends." They'd _better_ still be friends, or Dutch is going to recruit Julie's help to make Chuck _real_ sorry about that. Dutch likes the guy a lot, but not with the same kind of--no, he's not gonna say _adoration_ , even if that might technically be accurate--intensity as how he likes Mike. Mike's just got something about him that makes you want to be around him, and hang with him, and make him happy, and Chuck had better freaking fix this, is what Dutch is saying.

Mike clings to Dutch and gets his t-shirt damp for a while, and Dutch holds him and murmurs comforting things as best he can. His chest aches, and he keeps being mad at Chuck and then trying to let that go and focus on Mike. Mike is miserable and upset, though, and there's nothing Dutch can do to fix it except be here, which doesn't feel like enough. At least it's helping a little, judging by the way Mike's hanging onto him.

Finally Mike's breathing steadies out, and he stops holding the back of Dutch's t-shirt so hard, smoothing the cloth out against his back. "This sucks," Mike mumbles. "The first person I'm really into, and he actually freaking _left_ to get away from me."

"Yeah," Dutch agrees. "It sucks pretty hard. That wasn't cool of him. But you know he's like the only person in Motorcity that's gonna react like that, right?"

Mike pulls back a little to frown at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the next time you go for someone, they're gonna be off the wall thrilled about it," Dutch tells him with certainty. "There's a _ton_ of people who'd be real happy to have you, you just gotta meet the one you want. And it'll happen. If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you attract really cool people," he finishes, with an ostentatiously modest expression.

Mike gives a startled snort of laughter and shoves him, and Dutch just keeps looking smug to make Mike laugh more. The laughter doesn't last long, but at least Mike's still smiling a little when he sighs.

"It still sucks right now, though," he says ruefully.

"Well, _yeah_ ," Dutch says. "You just ran your heart into a brick wall, and now it’s all dinged up. I don't think you can skip the part where that’s gonna hurt for a while."

Mike thumps his forehead against Dutch's shoulder.

"Ow," Dutch says mildly.

"I hate that," Mike mumbles.

"Yeah," Dutch says, twisting to hug him again. "Feelings suck. I'm really sorry, man."

Mike heaves another sigh and goes heavy against Dutch, which has a suspiciously similar effect to snuggling into him. Dutch shifts a little, adjusting, and squeezes him before starting to stroke his back slow and soothing. Mike sighs a few times, and goes heavier after a while, and it takes Dutch a couple minutes to realize that yes, Mike Chilton has actually just fallen asleep on him. Heartbreak and not eating all day is apparently what it takes to get the guy to take a nap.

He's gonna be sheepish about that when he wakes up, Dutch is pretty sure. Dutch will have to drag him downstairs and make sure he eats something, and remember to tell Julie later about the newest developments here. 

For right now, though, Dutch is just going to hold Mike and let him rest.


End file.
